California · Fish and Game Code - FGC

FGC §12161: The judge before whom any person is tried for taking, possessing, selling, importing, or transporting birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, aquaculture animals and products, plants, or amphibians or parts t

Infraction

What this law says, in plain English

Upon conviction for unlawfully taking, possessing, selling, importing, or transporting wildlife or plants, a judge must order forfeiture and disposal of the items, or donation/destruction if they cannot be legally sold or are worth less than $100.

Read the full statutory text
The judge before whom any person is tried for taking, possessing, selling, importing, or transporting birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, aquaculture animals and products, plants, or amphibians or parts thereof contrary to the laws of this state shall upon the conviction of the accused make an order forfeiting and disposing of the birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, aquaculture animals and products, plants, or amphibians, or parts thereof, in accordance with the provisions of Section 12160. However, if the birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, aquaculture animals and products, plants, or amphibians, or parts thereof may not be sold lawfully or have a current market value of less than one hundred dollars ($100), the judge may at his or her discretion order that they be donated to a state, county, city, or any charitable institution, or that they be destroyed.

Verify at the official source: California legislative text

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This page is legal information, not legal advice. Code text is sourced from official publications and may lag amendments — always confirm at the official source linked above. Plain-English summaries and relationship data are AI-derived and reviewed on an ongoing basis; verify with a licensed attorney before acting.